If elected as the Ramsey County attorney, Jim Farrell said he will focus on reducing the office’s budget, domestic violence, juvenile prosecution and accountability for drug addicts.
Farrell, a state representative from St. Paul’s east side, has Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party and labor endorsements.
The attorney said he wants to make Ramsey’s office run on a more efficient budget, which would benefit students. The less the office spends, the less government money will be taken away from educational funding, he said.
Farrell added that he has had eight years of experience working with budgets as a state representative.
Farrell also proposed creating a one-stop domestic violence center. Prosecutors, protective services and law officers would be available at these centers to help victims of domestic violence, he said.
The juvenile court system needs improvements as well, he said. He suggested starting hearings for juvenile misdemeanors after 4 p.m. to allow working parents to attend.
Farrell said he would also create sentencing circles to stop enabling chemical dependency. The circles — a community of people with shared experiences — would mentor and sentence the offender within parameters set by a judge, Farrell said.
“A circle can provide the love that maybe they didn’t receive from family,” he said.
Jim Farrell
Published October 25, 1998
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